Aeronautical communications for air traffic control/air traffic management (ATM) will depend on datalink communications for flight safety critical information. Growth of air traffic and the limited capabilities of voice communications result in safety issues that limit the number of aircraft that can be controlled by existing ATM systems. Both industry and aviation officials recognize the potentials of future datalink communications, however, certification of each of the systems, ground and aircraft, are very complex, variable and costly.
Certification and system testing against procurement specifications may vary based upon specifications established by each country over which an aircraft flies during the course of a flight. Each country's government agency responsible for certification may establish standards in each country for a total ground and airborne system, and in the event of a change in any one component of the system, recertification of the entire system may be required. Recertification of the entire system is costly and time consuming. In many cases, system components may be integrated to form a custom system for a user; however, the entire system must still be certified.
A need has thus arisen for an air traffic communications system that is designed to allow for independent component certification, thereby simplifying system certification. A need has further arisen for a system design criteria for partitioning of the functions of a system to permit elements of the design for one geographical location to be applied to other locations with a minimum of retest and validation of the system.